Kim Ghattas was born in Lebanon at a time when the country was going through a devastating war. Growing up, war "became normal" for her and her family. Today, watching and reporting on the Syrian civil war, Ghattas is reminded of her own life in Lebanon.

The Middle East has had several years of drought. Across the region, from Israel to Iraq, there's more use of water and less water available and that's exacerbating the political tensions and problems. Linda Gradstein reports.

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a military commander of Hamas, was killed in Dubai. Hamas blamed Israel. Dubai police released names, photos, and passport numbers of 11 members of an alleged hit-squad. We hear from Ronen Bergman, correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth.

The Middle East, once a region of great religious diversity, has seen a mass emigration of minorities in recent decades. It's now one of the most religiously monolithic regions in the world. One Middle East scholar says the trend is likely to continue as tensions there continue to grow.

Lebanon brings together Shite, Sunni, Druze, Christian and Kurd. Now spillover violence from neighboring Syria is threatening the fragile bonds that hold the nation together, as the BBC's Kim Ghattas explains.

Lebanon has said enough. After decades of open borders with Syria and years of accepting refugees from its civil war, new border regulations mean that most Syrians can no longer find safe haven in the relative calm of Lebanon.